Leaving the delights of
Alghero behind we set off along the truly spectacular coastal drive that led
south. Noting the similarities with parts of the Croatian coast we had
marvelled at last year, we were soon passing one stunning view after another.
We eventually turned inland
and found ourselves in the delightful little town of Bosa, with its pastel
coloured houses, wide, navigable river and watched over by its medieaval
castle. It’s currently low key and tranquil, but that’s probably not likely to
last with the new coastal marina pulling in tourists in larger numbers.
The drive onwards took us
further inland, with the by now usual series of changing and picturesque views
helping to pass the time until we reached the northern end of the Sinis
peninsular. One of the least developed parts of Sardinia, we were looking forward
to our stop at camping Is Aruttas, set back from the beach and with direct
access.
Situated in a national park, this beach is astonishingly beautiful; an arc of white quartz sand punctuated by rocky promontories. There's not much around here apart from dirt tracks that run along a succession of bays, with car parks attached to the two beach bars. It's incredibly popular with locals, especially at the weekends, so what appears to be a fairly deserted area is heaving with sunshades once you arrive at the beach!
This strip is also popular
with freecampers, and gets a mention on our Campercontact app. The pay parking
areas weren't in operation when we were here in mid June and we did wonder how
they'd work as they were app driven, and there was little or no mobile
reception in the area.
We stayed at Is Aruttas camping, the only campsite along this stretch, and some 10k+ away from the nearest shop. Wifi was via a microwave transmitter to a mast some distance away, there was no mobile network at all, and all the sanitary block water was desalinated onsite, with just one tap to fill up with drinking water.
The site itself is a
hotchpotch of old and new, maintained and a little bit neglected in parts, but
we had a fab pitch with views across to the coast, venturing in where other big
motorhomes might not, under low branches, and so settled in quite happily.
The ACSI reviews of the site
were mixed, in that some campers clearly loathed the locals’ permanent pitches,
whilst others, including us, were more interested in the location! We felt that
the site reflected the classic tension between pitches that look neglected
before their owners return for the season, whilst others look pristine. One
thing permanents in any state of repair do bring, is a sense of the local
community, and many were occupied by families at the weekend, lending the site
a more Italian air.
The area is also a wildlife
haven to the six legged variety, and there were bugs of every hue to pester us
on the campsite and at the beach, including iridescent little flies that liked
to settle on sunbathers, causing much slapping and fidgeting during the day,
and mosquitoes that had the same effect in the evening. Cue the 50% deet spray,
mosquito coils and citronella lamp as soon as we arrived back at the van in the
evenings!
Most persistent though were
the earwigs, who managed to stow away in every crevice imaginable and who
travelled with us for the next couple of sites, falling out of the electrical
cable roll, the arms of the folding chairs and the wheel arches as we stopped
to unpack. We counted about 50 on our first stop! Luckily the invasion was
predominantly in the boot storage.
We wouldn't have missed this area though, just letting the sand run through your fingers was a treat in itself and when the breezes came the flies went and the only wildlife were grasshoppers springing ahead as we walked back across the scrubland to the van.
After a few days of near
bliss (save Mrs B’s multiple insect bites) we set off on the short hop to Tharros
and its famous Roman ruins just down the coast…
J&S
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